Fatigue support for men no leg straps



Dec. 28, 1965 R. SWENSEN FATIGUE SUPPORT FOR MEN NO LEG STRAPS Filed May 20, 1963 m w VS W W-N= flM w 5 T R s W O m R Y B United States Patent 3,225,761 FATIGUE SUPPORT FOR MEN N0 LEG STRAPS Robert Swensen, 120 Poinciana Drive, Martinez, Ga. Filed May 20, 1963, Ser. No. 281,840 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-158) This invention relates to body support devices and more particularly to a suspensory of the type to be worn by a male person.

There are available on the market today many types of support devices commonly referred to as suspensories which are worn by men particularly men of advanced age for supporting the male genitals. Such suspensories generally include a pouch for receiving the genitals which pouch is attached to an elastic waist band and to side straps which extend around the legs to provide the necessary support for the pouch.

As a result of these side straps which are generally composed of elastic material such as is used in the belt, the pouch is drawn tightly around the genitals occasionally exerting excessive pressure producing discomfort and frequently failing to provide the proper support. Furthermore, these straps, which not only add to the cost of the suspensory, bind against the legs of the wearer causing irritation, chafing and the like particularly when the person wearing the suspensory engages in active or violent activity.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a new and novel suspensory to be worn by a male person.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and novel suspensory which eliminates the need for leg straps and their attendant source of irritation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a new and novel suspensory to be worn by a male person which is easy to manufacture, utilizes a minimum of material and which is simple in construction.

This invention conteplates the provision of a new and novel suspensory for a male person which provides outstanding support during both active and inactive states of the wearer and which is characterized by a high degree of comfort and lack of irritation on the wearer.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

The objects stated above and other related objects in this invention are accomplished by providing a pouch formed from a blank of textile material having side panels extending upwardly from an arcuate bottom edge portion. The upper edges of the side panels are secured to an elastic belt arranged to be worn around the wearers waist with the forward ends of upper edges of the side panels positioned in closely adjacent relationship and with the upper edges extending along the belt in opposite directions. The folded front edge of the side panels forms a front opening and the folded rear edge of the side panels defines a rear opening the upper ends of which are open and held in spaced relationship by the belt in the Worn position around the waist of the wearer.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view of a suspensory constructed in accordance with the invention in the worn position on the body of a male person;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the suspensory of FIG- URE 1 with the belt broken away; and

FIGURE 3 is a front View. of the suspensory of FIG- URE 1 with the belt broken away.

As generally illustrative of the invention, there is shown in FIGURE 1 a suspensory S constructed in accordance with the invention in the position in which it is worn on the body of a male person. The suspensory S includes a belt preferably formed of elastic material to which is secured a pouch 11 having a rear opening 12 and a forward opening 13.

As specifically illustrative of the invention, the pouch 11 is formed by means of a pair of side panels 16, 17 of flexible material preferably cloth or other textile material which extend upwardly from a central arcuate bottom edge portion designated generally by the numeral 18. In the preferred embodiment, the side panels 16, 17 are formed of substantially identical separate pieces of material which are sewn together along seam 19 to form the bottom edge portion 18. However, it should be understood that the side panels 16, 17 may be made from a single blank of flexible material of the shape shown with an elimination of the sewn seam 19 but otherwise formed so as to provide the central arcuate bottom edge portion 18.

The upwardly extending side panels 16, 17 each terminate in a substantially straight upper edge 21, 22 respectively. The side panels 16, 17 also include a front edge 23 preferably reinforced with a binding strip 24 stitched on along seam 25 and a rear edge 26 also preferably reinforced with a binding strip 27 stitched on along seam 28.

The side panels 16, 17 are thus folded in the manner shown in the drawing around the arcuate bottom edge portion 18 to form the pouch 11 with their upper edges 21, 22 respectively secured to the elastic belt 10 so as to extend along the belt as shown. In securing the upper edges 21, 22 of the panels to the belt 10, the free ends of the forward edge 23 of the panels are positioned in closely adjacent relationship to thereby close the upper end of the pouch opening 13 at the position designated generally by the numeral 29 and the upper edges 21, 22 of the panels extend in opposite directions from position 29 along the belt as shown being secured thereto preferably by means such as a cover strip 30 preferably utilizing stitching 31 as shown.

The free ends of the rear edge 26 of the panels 16, 17 are thus positioned in spaced apart relationship as shown best in FIGURE 3 when positioned on the body of the wearer so as to spread open the upper end of the pouch opening 12. As can be seen, the rear opening 12 is substantially V-shaped and extends downwardly rearward as shown. On the other hand, the pouch opening 13 remains substantially closed as the downwardly extending portions of the folded forward edge 23 are maintained in closely spaced relationship thereby providing easy means for enlarging the pouch forward opening 13 when desired.

The belt 10 which is arranged to be worn as shown in FIGURE 1 on the body of the wearer is preferably made of any suitable elastic material so as to be elastically retained on the body adjacent the waist. As is well known, the elastic belt 10 is provided with a joint designated generally by the numeral 32 by means of which the belt 10 may be formed as a continuous band.

An oustanding feature of the invention is the simple manner in which the suspensory S may be manufactured in any desired size over a wide range. To enlarge the size of the suspensory S, it is only necessary to reduce the angle made by the side panels forward edge 23 with respect to the upper edges of the panels 16, 17 so as to reduce the downwardly extending angle of the pouch opening 13 and at the same time lengthening the height of the side panels 16, 17 so as to drop the arcuate bottom edge portion 18. Conversely, a reduction in size of the suspensory S may be accomplished by the above-described movements in the opposite direction. It can be understood that utilizing separate side panels 16, 17 which are substantially indentical permit this size adjustment to be readily accomplished in a simple and easy manner.

With the novel construction of this invention, there has been provided a new and novel suspensory for a male person which offers outstanding support to the male genitals but at the same time is characterized by an absence of unnecessary pressure and by a high degree of comfort on the part of the wearer. The particular shape and construction of the suspensory of the invention permits it to offer proper support utilizing only a pouch for receiving the male genitals and a belt of conventional type worn around the waist of the wearer. The leg straps common to present day suspensories have been dispensed with eliminating a source of irritation and the pouch not only provides proper support but fits neatly behind the scrotum so as to avoid chafing and unnecessary pressure. Furthermore the pouch of the suspensory is provided with a convenient front access opening which in the normal Worn position remains substantially closed but may be easily opened for access.

While there has been described what at present is considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention and, therefore, it is the aim of the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed 1s:

1. A suspensory for a male person comprising, in combination, a blank of flexible material folded along a central arcuate bottom edge portion to form a pouch, said pouch including a pair of side panels extending upwardly from said bottom edge portion each terminating in a substantially straight upper edge, each of said side panels having a substantially vertically extending rear edge and a substantially vertically extending forward edge thereby forming the sole means of support of said pouch, a continuous belt arranged to be worn around the body of said male person adjacent the waist, means securing the upper edges of said side panels to said belt whereby said rear edges on said side panels form a rear opening in said pouch and said front edges on said side panels form a front-opening in said pouch.

2. A suspensory in accordance with claim 1 whereby said pouch rear opening is directed rearwardly downward and said pouch front opening is directed forwardly downward.

Suspensories and Supporters, Johnson and Johnson, copyright 1936, pp. 7 and 12-13.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

C. F. ROSENBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SUSPENSORY FOR A MALE PERSON COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A BLANK OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL FOLDED ALONG A CENTRAL ARCUATE BOTTOM EDGE PORTION TO FORM A POUCH, SAID POUCH INCLUDING A PAIR OF SIDE PANELS EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID BOTTOM EDGE PORTION EACH TERMINATING IN A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT UPPER EDGE, EACH OF SAID SIDE PANELS HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY EXTENDING REAR EDGE AND A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY EXTENDING FORWARD EDGE THEREBY FORMING THE SOLE MEANS OF SUPPORT OF SAID POUCH, A CONTINUOUS BELT ARRANGED TO BE WORN AROUND THE BODY, OF SAID MALE PERSON ADJACENT THE WAIST, MEANS SECURING THE UPPER EDGES OF SAID SIDE PANELS TO SAID BELT WHEREBY SAID REAR EDGES ON SAID SIDE PANELS FORM A REAR OPENING IN SAID POUCH AND SAID FRONT EDGES ON SAID SIDE PANELS FORM A FRONT OPENING IN SAID POUCH. 